2005 DANIEL SCHORR JOURNALISM PRIZE WINNER ANNOUNCED

NPR Reporter Ari Shapiro was honored for “All Things Considered” Story: “The Impact of Methamphetamine Use on the Gay Community”

WBUR 90.9 FM and Boston University are pleased to announce that Ari Shapiro, reporter for National Public Radio in Washington, D.C., has won the fourth annual Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize recognizing significant broadcast journalism by a young public radio journalist.

Shapiro is being honored for his 14-minute piece titled “The Impact of Methamphetamine Use on the Gay Community.” The report focused on connections between methamphetamine abuse and rates of HIV infection in the gay community. A panel of five noted journalists judged the entries. Shapiro’s work was praised by Judge Geneva Overholser as being “revelatory without being prurient.” Overholser, a professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism and former Washington Post ombudsman, also praised Shapiro for taking on a “tough topic.”

Shapiro’s submission, which originally aired on “All Things Considered” on March 28, 2005, was one of 21 entries received from broadcast journalists age 35 and under from around the country. The $5,000 prize will be presented on behalf of veteran newsman Daniel Schorr as part of WBUR’s Public Radio Gala on November 29, 2005, at The State Room in Boston. The keynote speaker for the gala is Ira Glass, host of “This American Life.” Robin Young, host of WBUR’s midday program “Here and Now,” will serve as master of ceremonies.

The Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize, sponsored by WBUR and Boston University, spotlights a new generation of public radio journalists and seeks to inspire them to stretch the boundaries of the medium. Schorr, currently a senior analyst for NPR, has a distinguished, award-winning career in broadcast journalism. He has worked with such pioneers as Edward R. Murrow at CBS and Ted Turner at CNN. Daniel Schorr’s integrity and professionalism provided the vision for the journalism award bearing his name.

The panel judging 2005’s entries was:
John Barth, Executive Director of PRX
John Dinges, Associate Professor at the School of Journalism, Columbia University
Danny Miller, Executive Producer of “Fresh Air” at WHYY-FM, Philadelphia
Geneva Overholser, Professor at the School of Journalism, University of Missouri
Deborah Potter, Executive Director of NewsLab, Washington, D.C.